I wanted to add to the story of Air Force One. Link to article is at the end.
The first presidential planes
The first American president to fly while in office was Franklin D. Roosevelt, who in January 1943 flew aboard a commercial Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat to the Casablanca Conference in Morocco, during World War II. Late in the war the U.S. Army Air Forces took possession of a Douglas C-54 Skymaster that had been specially built for presidential use. This four-engined transport plane, based on the DC-4 civil airliner, had a range of 4,000 miles (6,400 km) and, unlike the Clipper, could land at any sizable airfield in the world. Officially designated VC-54A but known among irreverent journalists as the “Sacred Cow,” it featured a conference room, a stateroom with a lavatory and a bullet-proof picture window, and an elevator for raising and lowering the wheelchair-bound president between the plane and the ground. It transported Roosevelt only once—to the Yalta Conference in Soviet Crimea in February 1945—but it remained in service until 1947, during the first Harry S. Truman administration, before being reassigned to other duties and ultimately retired in 1961. The Sacred Cow has been restored and is now on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio.
NASA's Reduced Gravity Program provides the unique weightless or zero-G environment of space flight for testing and training of human and hardware reactions. NASA used the turbojet KC-135A to run these parabolic flights from 1963 to 2004.
Britannica Quiz
The Independence, a modified Douglas C-118 military transport used as the official airplane of U.S. Pres. Harry Truman, August 31, 1947.
Truman’s dedicated airplane was a modified Douglas C-118 Liftmaster, which in turn was a military version of the DC-6 airliner. It was officially designated VC-118, but Truman named it the Independence after his hometown in Missouri. The Independence had more powerful engines and a greater range than the Sacred Cow. It also featured the new technology of pressurized cabins and could carry 24 passengers outside of the presidential stateroom. The stateroom, located in the after section, contained a reclining swivel chair and a full-sized sofa bed. This plane transported Truman to Wake Island in the Pacific for his historic confrontation with Gen. Douglas MacArthur in October 1950, during the Korean War. The Independence remained the primary presidential plane until Dwight D. Eisenhower assumed office in 1953. After serving various other transport duties, it was retired in 1965 and is now on display at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Air Force One enters the jet age
Eisenhower’s first personal transport, starting in 1953, was a customized C-121, the military version of the Lockheed Constellation airliner. Designated VC-121E, it was christened the Columbine II—the columbine being the official flower of Colorado, the adopted home state of Mamie Eisenhower. (The Columbine I had been Dwight D. Eisenhower’s personal transport when he was in the army.) According to popular lore, the call sign Air Force One was first invoked by the pilot of the Columbine II during a flight to Florida, when he was concerned that air traffic controllers might confuse the presidential plane’s call sign, Air Force 610, with a similar call sign of a nearby commercial airliner. Columbine II was replaced as the primary presidential plane in 1954 by Columbine III, a modified Super Constellation that was longer, faster, and more comfortable than its predecessor. Columbine III was the last piston-engined plane to be used as primary air transport by a president. It was eventually retired from the Air Force in 1966 and can be seen at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
The Eisenhower era saw Air Force One brought into the jet age. In August 1959 Eisenhower first flew aboard VC-137A, a Boeing 707 Stratoliner nicknamed “Queenie” that had been part of the administration’s air fleet. Queenie contained a special telecommunications section, forward and aft passenger compartments (a total of 40 passengers could be accommodated), a conference area, and a stateroom. The speed, range, comfort, and elegance of this jet made it ideal for the leader of a world power. In December 1959 it transported Eisenhower on an unpredecented three-week goodwill trip to 11 countries in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Replaced as the primary presidential airplane in 1962, it remained in the presidential fleet until retirement in 1996. It is now part of the collection of the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Air-Force-One/Air-Force-One-enters-the-jet-age
Thank you Tara 😊 💓
So who was the 1st lady that learned to fly?
So, which First Lady did learn to fly?
👍👍👍
Thank You, Tara
Always interesting
Love these! And I got some parts right! Even more fun 😊
I wanted to add to the story of Air Force One. Link to article is at the end.
The first presidential planes
The first American president to fly while in office was Franklin D. Roosevelt, who in January 1943 flew aboard a commercial Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat to the Casablanca Conference in Morocco, during World War II. Late in the war the U.S. Army Air Forces took possession of a Douglas C-54 Skymaster that had been specially built for presidential use. This four-engined transport plane, based on the DC-4 civil airliner, had a range of 4,000 miles (6,400 km) and, unlike the Clipper, could land at any sizable airfield in the world. Officially designated VC-54A but known among irreverent journalists as the “Sacred Cow,” it featured a conference room, a stateroom with a lavatory and a bullet-proof picture window, and an elevator for raising and lowering the wheelchair-bound president between the plane and the ground. It transported Roosevelt only once—to the Yalta Conference in Soviet Crimea in February 1945—but it remained in service until 1947, during the first Harry S. Truman administration, before being reassigned to other duties and ultimately retired in 1961. The Sacred Cow has been restored and is now on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio.
NASA's Reduced Gravity Program provides the unique weightless or zero-G environment of space flight for testing and training of human and hardware reactions. NASA used the turbojet KC-135A to run these parabolic flights from 1963 to 2004.
Britannica Quiz
The Independence, a modified Douglas C-118 military transport used as the official airplane of U.S. Pres. Harry Truman, August 31, 1947.
Truman’s dedicated airplane was a modified Douglas C-118 Liftmaster, which in turn was a military version of the DC-6 airliner. It was officially designated VC-118, but Truman named it the Independence after his hometown in Missouri. The Independence had more powerful engines and a greater range than the Sacred Cow. It also featured the new technology of pressurized cabins and could carry 24 passengers outside of the presidential stateroom. The stateroom, located in the after section, contained a reclining swivel chair and a full-sized sofa bed. This plane transported Truman to Wake Island in the Pacific for his historic confrontation with Gen. Douglas MacArthur in October 1950, during the Korean War. The Independence remained the primary presidential plane until Dwight D. Eisenhower assumed office in 1953. After serving various other transport duties, it was retired in 1965 and is now on display at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Air Force One enters the jet age
Eisenhower’s first personal transport, starting in 1953, was a customized C-121, the military version of the Lockheed Constellation airliner. Designated VC-121E, it was christened the Columbine II—the columbine being the official flower of Colorado, the adopted home state of Mamie Eisenhower. (The Columbine I had been Dwight D. Eisenhower’s personal transport when he was in the army.) According to popular lore, the call sign Air Force One was first invoked by the pilot of the Columbine II during a flight to Florida, when he was concerned that air traffic controllers might confuse the presidential plane’s call sign, Air Force 610, with a similar call sign of a nearby commercial airliner. Columbine II was replaced as the primary presidential plane in 1954 by Columbine III, a modified Super Constellation that was longer, faster, and more comfortable than its predecessor. Columbine III was the last piston-engined plane to be used as primary air transport by a president. It was eventually retired from the Air Force in 1966 and can be seen at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
The Eisenhower era saw Air Force One brought into the jet age. In August 1959 Eisenhower first flew aboard VC-137A, a Boeing 707 Stratoliner nicknamed “Queenie” that had been part of the administration’s air fleet. Queenie contained a special telecommunications section, forward and aft passenger compartments (a total of 40 passengers could be accommodated), a conference area, and a stateroom. The speed, range, comfort, and elegance of this jet made it ideal for the leader of a world power. In December 1959 it transported Eisenhower on an unpredecented three-week goodwill trip to 11 countries in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Replaced as the primary presidential airplane in 1962, it remained in the presidential fleet until retirement in 1996. It is now part of the collection of the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Air-Force-One/Air-Force-One-enters-the-jet-age
I am a retired USAF aviator.
These are so interesting and fun Tara. Thank you for doing them.!
Awesome! Thanks!
Thank you, Tara.
All answers were new to me. Thank you Tara